Nor has Cessna made any secret of the fact that a SIDs programme was going to be developed for all of their aircraft. In fact, it is heartening to see a company that is prepared to stand by their product which may be due to the fact that it is essentially the same company that made the aircraft, unlike say Piper.
The aircraft that brought the problem to light was a 402 used in low capacity short haul route in the USA. The pilot landed the aircraft complaining that he had run out of aileron trim. Not surprising as the spar was cracked.
The thought process was that these aircraft were never designed to do the hours that they have and Cessna decided that if they were to continue supporting the product then they needed an inspection programme that would enable these aircraft to continue past their original design parameters.
What has been discovered, as other posters have pointed out, is that in unexpected areas these aircraft had problems and as more inspections are being carried out the more problems are being discovered. I have seen a number of 310s with the whole of the top deck removed as corrosion was discovered there. Incidentally, the price quoted 2 years ago for a SID on a 310 was in the region of $150k.
This is not work creation by Cessna but a very responsible decision.
